# Cigar Cutters that can Easily Be Sharpened



## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

I wonder what cutters out there can easily be sharpened by the user ? I have lots of various edge sharpening gear, but the cigar cutters I currently own can't be disassembled/reassembled so that the whole cutting edge is properly accessible for sharpening. (The one exception is a punch cutter. I use a cartridge reloading tool to sharpen it.) Lately, I've been cutting a lot of my cigars with small, thin blade & very sharp knives because of this. Thanks.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

The way I sharpen my cutters is by cutting cello. Get an old cello snip it 10 or so times, it takes any burrs off and sharpens the blades. Can't remember where I learned this but it works. Now if your cutters really jacked up, like the one I've used to cut fishing line. I just send it back (xikar) or pitch it.


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

UBC03 said:


> The way I sharpen my cutters is by cutting cello. Get an old cello snip it 10 or so times, it takes any burrs off and sharpens the blades. Can't remember where I learned this but it works. Now if your cutters really jacked up, like the one I've used to cut fishing line. I just send it back (xikar) or pitch it.


I confess, I'm a 'knife knut'. I came to it years back when doing stuff in the outdoors (hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, etc.) I've read about guys cutting through aluminum foil, but not old cello. This is similar to using a knife steel to fix a rolled over edge on a kitchen knife. It realigns the edge, but doesn't remove much metal to actually sharpen it. But I want a cutter that's
*Sharp !* and that means doing more work on the edge.

Maybe nobody makes a cigar cutter like this ?


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

They seem sharper to me..but if you have a xikar you can return it to be sharpened or replaced. I've cut alot of cigars with them and they're still sharp as hell


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## ivandrocco (Feb 17, 2017)

Nice trick with the cello, not sure I understand how it works though.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

ivandrocco said:


> Nice trick with the cello, not sure I understand how it works though.


Me either but it does.


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## ivandrocco (Feb 17, 2017)

I wonder if rolling up some fine grit sand paper and clipping it would touch up the blades.


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## Ranger0282 (Mar 12, 2016)

@Joe Sticks I'm with you about being a Knife Nut. My father taught me how to sharpen a knife when I was young using a stone. Being hard headed, I tried EVERY gizmo on the market and finally figured out Dad knew what he was talking about. I can sharpen a knife using a diamond stone one could shave a frog's beard with.
I have also wondered how I could sharpen my cigar cutter... this razor blade I use is getting dull. Maybe if I was to scrape the rust off, it would cut my cigars better......


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## blackrabbit (Jan 29, 2017)

ivandrocco said:


> I wonder if rolling up some fine grit sand paper and clipping it would touch up the blades.


I think that might do more harm than good. The ceilo might hone the edge by removing the micro-barbs, but sandpaper would likely grind the edge down and make it duller.


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

Ranger0282 said:


> @Joe Sticks I'm with you about being a Knife Nut. My father taught me how to sharpen a knife when I was young using a stone. Being hard headed, I tried EVERY gizmo on the market and finally figured out Dad knew what he was talking about. I can sharpen a knife using a diamond stone one could shave a frog's beard with.
> I have also wondered how I could sharpen my cigar cutter... this razor blade I use is getting dull. Maybe if I was to scrape the rust off, it would cut my cigars better......


 @Ranger0282 - ya know what I'm talkin' about ! 
Where 'shaving sharp' is the minimum requirement for a lotta blades. Many of my axes and hatchets will do that. (Convexed edges). And some guys like to shave hair strands or split them in two.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

P.S. - rather than getting into a general knife discussion (there's a sub-forum for that) - - I just wanted to see if there's cigar cutters out there that can easily be opened up and sharpened. I see some cutters with screws, but was wondering if their blades can be fully accessed.
In the past, when people tended to be more 'hands on' I wonder what they did ? (A lot of men carried pocket knives in the past.) Maybe such a cigar cutter isn't offered today.
Thanks everyone for your comments.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## Ranger0282 (Mar 12, 2016)

@Joe Sticks ....I always wanted to do a video showing how it's done. Half of it I try to show people on paper explaining what is trying to be accomplished. There are so many different things that needs to be looked at while one sharpens a knife. I have a pair of glasses that does like a 10x and a good light to see where I am at. You know there are spots on the blade that haven't gotten to where it needs to be and spots that are. I stay on the Course side of the stone until each side is perfect all the way down. When I am finished with the Fine side of the stone I can cut a hair in half. I shave the inside of my left arm and when it shaves as smooth as a baby's bottom, it's ready to skin a deer... When we process the deer, I have one knife that I take to the Extra Fine stone for slicing the meat for cube steak and jerky. I tried to teach my son-in-law but he is about as smart as a bag of rocks and couldn't do it. No Patience...Hardest worker on the planet though..

Sorry.....got off thread...... How do I sharpen my cutter?..........................without buying a new razor blade


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

@Ranger0282 - there are DVD videos out there. One fellow makes custom Japanese knives (he apprenticed for years over there under a Japanese bladesmith master) and he shows how to use Japanese water stones. 
I just erased most of a long reply I wrote. Its too easy for me to get waaayyyy off topic on this thread I started !

I've done searches in knife forums and didn't come up with anything relevant regarding cutting cigars. I hate to throw away a perfectly useful blade just because its dull and hate relying on someone else to sharpen it. IMO, based on the blade steels they use, the high dollar cutters I've seen are overpriced. But maybe that's to cover replacement when they 'sharpen' them ? If they can actually sharpen them, I can too.

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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

I have found that when a double guillotine starts seeming dull, more often than not it just needs cleaning. When you get a build-up of gunk it keeps the blade surfaces apart and, like scissors, they cut best when the blades are close together. A little isopropyl alcohol will clean them right up, removing oils, tars, and bits of tobacco that stick to the blade surfaces over time.

I have one cutter that I've been using for over 20 years that's still as sharp as the day I bought it (when I it's clean). Then again, I try to just shave the end of the cap off without getting into the filler if I can help it. If you're cutting deeper I suppose that could cause them to get dull faster. IDK

That said, I did send a Xikar Xi1 in for sharpening, though that was after using it pretty regularly for maybe 5 or 6 years. I don't think it was really any duller than when I bought it, but I did notice the new Xi3 I bought last year was sharper. So I thought, what the heck, might as well see how they do. FYI, they did not sharpen it. They replaced it with a new one... and it is sharper. But I think it was just made sharper to start with.


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## cigarsinmypipe (Jan 26, 2017)

They exist. I used to have a Colibri cutter that disassembled and used a standard razor blade inside. I have no idea what happened to it or where you can get one now, but they do exist.


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

Thanks guys, this isn't just 'knife knut obsessiveness' - - maybe only 90% that :wink2:

Sharper edges are generally better, though. And, if I can keep mine that way myself on a regular basis, I prefer that. - - I ordered a Colibri V cutter, hasn't arrived yet. It has screws, but I don't know if it can be taken apart. I haven't tried doing a V cut on a torpedo with a sharp knife. I'll have to experiment with that. Worst case, I could always smoke a wrecked cigar in a cob.


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## csk415 (Sep 6, 2016)

http://www.xikar.com/products/cutters/cigar-cut-knife/


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

csk415 said:


> XIKAR | 744 Cigar Cut Knife


I've seen that knife. Likely sub-par AUS-8 steel (though some companies have done a good job with it, such as Cold Steel. They do a good heat treat on it). Made in China. Priced too high IMO.

I already own better knives, so never looked closer at that model.


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## ADRUNKK (Aug 16, 2016)

I would like to be able to sharpen my own cigar cutter too. I keep my everyday pocket folder razor sharp and I would like to do the same with my cigar cutter. 

If I didn't pay so much for my Xikar Xi1 I would attempt to open it up and try but i don't want to void the warranty if i cant get it back together. It seems to have some spring and gear mechanisms hidden in the underbelly and I'd hate to open it up and see a spring fly across the room. Has anyone attempted to open an Xi1?


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

ADRUNKK said:


> I would like to be able to sharpen my own cigar cutter too. I keep my everyday pocket folder razor sharp and I would like to do the same with my cigar cutter.
> 
> If I didn't pay so much for my Xikar Xi1 I would attempt to open it up and try but i don't want to void the warranty if i cant get it back together. It seems to have some spring and gear mechanisms hidden in the underbelly and I'd hate to open it up and see a spring fly across the room. Has anyone attempted to open an Xi1?


Nope..no reason to. Something's jacked up, send it back.


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## ADRUNKK (Aug 16, 2016)

So i can be lazy at times. One of those times was when i bought my Xikar Xi1 from my local B&M. If i recall correctly the box had a registration form to fill out. I never got online and did that. Do you have to register your cutter to be able to send it in for warranty or sharpening? Just for my own knowledge when you do send it in how long do you have to wait before you get it back? I have other cutters but this is the one i tend to gravitate to when i need to circumcise a stick.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

ADRUNKK said:


> So i can be lazy at times. One of those times was when i bought my Xikar Xi1 from my local B&M. If i recall correctly the box had a registration form to fill out. I never got online and did that. Do you have to register your cutter to be able to send it in for warranty or sharpening? Just for my own knowledge when you do send it in how long do you have to wait before you get it back? I have other cutters but this is the one i tend to gravitate to when i need to circumcise a stick.


Pretty sure you do have to register, but I don't think it matters if you do it when you buy it or later.

IIRC, it took about two weeks when I sent my Xi1 in. But, as I said earlier, they just replaced it. Same thing last time I sent in a broken lighter. They did not still make that particular lighter, BTW, so they replaced it with a current model in the same price range.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

ADRUNKK said:


> So i can be lazy at times. One of those times was when i bought my Xikar Xi1 from my local B&M. If i recall correctly the box had a registration form to fill out. I never got online and did that. Do you have to register your cutter to be able to send it in for warranty or sharpening? Just for my own knowledge when you do send it in how long do you have to wait before you get it back? I have other cutters but this is the one i tend to gravitate to when i need to circumcise a stick.


I've never had to send one back. No cutters, cases, lighters, or ashtrays. So I don't know. But I've seen guys here take them to stores and get an immediate swap. If you send them in I don't know. You can still go online and register your cutter. They don't require anything other then you're address to send your sheath.


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## blackrabbit (Jan 29, 2017)

I did not even know about registering or getting a free sheath. Awesome, thanks!


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## Rondo (Sep 9, 2015)

Any Xikar product can be sent for repair/replacement without registration.
Just print the form and mail it in.

https://www.xikar.com/files/XIKAR Consumer Return Form.pdf

Haven't heard from Xikar Ken in a long time.


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## ADRUNKK (Aug 16, 2016)

I just registered on Xikar's site. I don't care really about getting the sheath but at lease I can send a product back if I need to.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Rondo said:


> Any Xikar product can be sent for repair/replacement without registration.
> Just print the form and mail it in.
> 
> https://www.xikar.com/files/XIKAR Consumer Return Form.pdf
> ...


I was thinkin about him today when I typed xikar for the twentieth time.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

curmudgeonista said:


> I have found that when a double guillotine starts seeming dull, more often than not it just needs cleaning. When you get a build-up of gunk it keeps the blade surfaces apart and, like scissors, they cut best when the blades are close together. A little isopropyl alcohol will clean them right up, removing oils, tars, and bits of tobacco that stick to the blade surfaces over time.
> 
> I have one cutter that I've been using for over 20 years that's still as sharp as the day I bought it (when I it's clean). Then again, *I try to just shave the end of the cap off without getting into the filler* if I can help it. If you're cutting deeper I suppose that could cause them to get dull faster. IDK


Thought I'd show a pic of what I meant by shaving the cap. This cigar may look like it's been punched, but it was cut with a double guillotine, taking just the top of the cap off without touching the filler. Very easy on cutter blades and it leaves nice rounded shoulders that are comfortable in the mouth.









Not a special picture culled for this example; just the cigar I'm smoking this evening.


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## bozoo (Sep 26, 2016)

If the draw is fine for you, there is absolutely no reason to cut more.


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

Yep - you can also do it the way @curmudgeonista shows with a sharp, thin bladed knife. I like to rotate the cigar in my hand, cutting 'around it', as I feel I have better control of the knife blade that way.

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## Ripdog28 (Mar 2, 2017)

Great time for me to join up. I to am a knife NUT and love my cigars. Really hate how cheap even the $100 cutters are. I may have something for you guys soon.... Will keep you updated.


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

Ripdog28 said:


> Great time for me to join up. I to am a knife NUT and love my cigars. Really hate how cheap even the $100 cutters are. I may have something for you guys soon.... Will keep you updated.


I did a very quick websearch on some knife forums to see if anyone (even a custom maker) made a cigar cutter with (1) quality blade steel and (2) that could easily be sharpened by the user. 'No' and 'No' again to both questions.

Welcome to the forum !

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## ADRUNKK (Aug 16, 2016)

Joe Sticks said:


> I did a very quick websearch on some knife forums to see if anyone (even a custom maker) made a cigar cutter with (1) quality blade steel and (2) that could easily be sharpened by the user. 'No' and 'No' again to both questions.
> 
> Welcome to the forum !
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


Hell yeah. I'd buy a Benchmade cutter with removable SV-30 blades.


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## ForceofWill (Sep 6, 2008)

I've thought about this and been disappointed as well. I like my carbon kitchen knives and would love a quality steel in this application. I prefer, White, Blue, Aogami super type Japanese steel's. I think the best option atm would be to have someone make a quality pair of scissor type cutters.


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